It’s amazing what people will do in the name of beauty. Whilst we deem the usual routine of plucking/shaving/moisturising tiring enough, others are turning to bull semen and snake venom in the hopes of staying fresh-faced. Take a look at weird and wonderful beauty treatments available around the world today…

Bee Venom Mask Touted as the natural and organic alternative to Botox, this £55 face mask contains a bee venom ingredient that promises to immediately lift, tighten and firm facial muscles. The product, released by Heaven by Deborah Mitchell (a fellow finalist in the National Business Awards), has just won an £100 million contract in China and is endorsed by Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

Placenta Face Cream Madonna and Eva Longoria are among those rumoured to be fans of this unusual face cream made from sheep placenta protein extract, otherwise known as living cell therapy. According to EMK, one of the manufacturers to develop such a treatment, “the placenta is known to improve metabolic processes, accelerate tissue regeneration, and stimulate immunity.”

Placenta Face Cream

Bird Poop Facial Known as the Bird Poop Facial in New York and the Geisha Facial in London, this unique treatment stems from Japan and involves drying bird droppings under UV lights then mixing with rice bran and water and applying as a face mask, producing fresh and glowing skin.

Bird Poop Facial

Bull Semen Hair Conditioner It may sound like something from There’s Something About Mary, but Hari’s hairdressers, in Knightsbridge, London, offers clients organically-produced bull’s semen combined with the root of protein-rich plant katera to massage into their hair as part of a deluxe blow-dry. Owner Hari Salem is quick to reassure that “the semen is refrigerated before use and doesn’t smell”. “It will be an ongoing treatment as long as the bulls perform,” he noted.

Bull Semen Hair Conditioner

Pigs’ Trotters Collagen Cuisine This unorthodox anti-aging fad began in Japan and quickly spread to New York. It involves the physical consumption of collagen-rich pig’s feet to banish wrinkles and ensure smooth, youthful skin. “Collagen helps your body retain moisture”. “Your hair and skin will look better, but it’s not just for looking beautiful now. If you begin eating collagen in your thirties, you will look younger in your forties.”

Pigs’ Trotters Collagen Cuisine

Snail secretion skin cream A number of different beauty products use snail serum, which also goes by the name of Helix Aspersa Müller Glycoconjugates (a nice easy one to ask for at the beauty counter, then). An organic, natural ingredient, it is gathered pure from live snails, mostly in laboratories in Chile (products highlight that snails are not harmed in the process). Its powerful biological properties are said to help relieve skin conditions such as acne, as well as reducing wrinkles and improving dull complexions.

Snail secretion skin cream

Snake Venom Facial This anti-ageing product works in a slightly alarming manner – by mimicking the effects of a snake bite (presumably not to its full extent), leaving skin in a state of shock. Based upon the venom of a Temple Viper snake, it literally freezes the face and tightens out fine lines. Gwyneth Paltrow and Katie Holmes are said to be among advocates of the technique that, according to LA-based facialist Sonya Dakar, “sends a message to inhibit control and contraction.”

Snake Venom Facial

Leech therapy Leech therapy as a medicinal cure has been around for centuries, but it was only when Demi Moore famously swore by the potential of “high-level blood suckers” as an alternative means to “detoxify my blood” that it saw a resurgence as a beauty treatment. Available at a handful of bespoke beauty clinics across the world, the process involves attaching leeches to the bare skin for around two hours so they can release enzymes into your bloodstream, improving your circulation and leaving you well and truly bitten.

Leech therapy

Fish pedicures The use of tiny Garra Rufa fish has gained popularity in spas across the UK and the US. Clients can dunk their feet into tanks filled with the toothless carp, who have the thankless task of nibbling away dead skin. However, the technique is currently under investigation with fears it could lead to infection and disease.

Fish pedicures

Beer baths Once upon a time a beer bath would be a novelty reserved for rock stars, but now a number of hotels across Europe (especially in Prague) are offering it as a therapeutic treatment. Combining specially brewed malt, beer yeast, hops and mineral elements heated to over 30°C, the bath helps sweat away toxins, leaving skin glowing and refreshed. Just don’t do it on a hangover…